aiken



UNITED STATES. PATENT OFFICE.

.'I. B. AIKEN, OF FRANKLIN, NEW I-IAMSHIRE, ASSIGNOR TO J. B. AIKEN AND H. AIKEN.

KNITTING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 12,933, dated May 22, 1.855.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JoNAs B. AIKEN, of Franklin, in the county of Merrimack and State of New Hampshire, have invented a new and useful Attachment to Knitting- Machines, which I have denominated a Needle-Latch Regulator, of which the following is a full, clear, and eXact description, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a view of a portion o-f a machine operating with a reciprocating movement, and having my improved `instrument attached. Fig. 2, a machine arranged for circular work. Figs. 3, t, 5, 6 details which will be referred to hereafter.

My improvement is designed to be attached to those machines in which the barb of the needle is opened and closed by a hinged or jointed latch; as heretofore constructed these latches frequently rebound and rest upon the hook or barb of the needle, which is thereby closed ata time when it should be open to receive the yarn; the latter is thus prevented from entering the hook of the needle, and a loop or stitch is dropped, which causes imperfect work.

To remedy this defect is the object of my present invention, which consists in passing apointed instrument into the barb of the needle at the instant' before the thread is laid in; this instrument which I call the needle latch regulation, being of such a shape (as will be hereafter explained) as not only to open the latch and depress it, but to hold it open until the yarn is laid in, and the accident before alluded to is thus avoided.

To enable others skilled in the art to make use of my invention, I will proceed to dethat the latch e is held down by the regulator until the yarn is laid into the hook.

In Fig. 4 is seen a single pointed regulato-r combined with the yarn carrier, and adapted to a machine for circular work, o-ne point only being required, the motion of the regulat-or being continuous in one direction. As in the other figures the latch e, and the yarn are represented in red, the point of the regulator just entering into the hook of the needle between the barb and the latch.

Figs. 5 and' 6, are different views of the regulator without the yarn carrier.

Fig. 2, represents a circular machine in which there are two sets of needles d, 0l', the latches e, e, of the outer row d, being opened by the regulator A', combined with the yarn carrier B.

The regulator A2, which opens t-he barbs of the inner row of needles d, is unaccompanied by the yarn carrier.

In all the above cases and in general, the regulator is enlarged, from the point back, for the purpose as before stated not only of opening the latch, but of holding it open until the next. loop is laid in. Vhen the loop has been thrown entirely off of the needle, and nothing is left within the barb to open the latch, or where the latter rebounds after having been opened, in either case the latch regulator will open the latch and prepare the hook to receive the yarn.

I do not confine myself to the exact form and construction herein described, but intend to make such variations therein as may be found necessary to accommodate the latch opener to the various machines to which it may be found applicable.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. The needle latch regulator constructed and operating in the manner substantially as herein described for the purpose set forth.

2. I claim the needle latch regulator in combination with the yarn carrier operating substantially as herein set forth.

In testimony whereof witness my signature this fourth day of May A. D. eighteen hundred and fifty ive. i

JONAS Bv AIKEN.

Witnesses:

DAVID L. ANNAN, JOHN W. ANNAN. 

